Marko Pjaca returns to Croatian league football

Marko Pjaca (Photo credit: Светлана Бекетова/soccer.ru)

One of the most promising Croatian football talents has returned to Croatian league football after 7 years abroad. 

Former Croatia international Marko Pjaca, who became at the time the most expensive Croatian league transfer in history when he moved to Juventus for 23 million euros in 2016 from Dinamo Zagreb, has signed for NK Rijeka.

NK Rijeka confirmed the news today and presented the 28-year-old winger this afternoon to the media. Pjaca passed a medical on Friday before signing a three-year deal (two plus one). 

Pjaca started his career in Croatia with Lokomotiva in 2012, before moving to Dinamo Zagreb in 2014. In 2016 he signed for Italian giants Juventus. 

Pjaca, who has played 24 times for Croatia, suffered a serious injury in a friendly match against Estonia in 2017 when tore his anterior cruciate ligament. He spent 319 days out of football. 

After an injury-plagued seven years, his main motivation is to return to serious football, and even to the national team squad, where he made his debut in 2014.

📸 2️⃣0️⃣ 🔵⚪#ZajednosmoRijeka #HNKRijeka pic.twitter.com/eRVvcpE4pm

— NK Rijeka (@NKRijeka) September 1, 2023

Pjaca played for Croatia at Euro 2016, where he impressed, and was part of the silver medal-winning 2018 World Cup squad and came on in the final against France. He last played for Croatia in November of 2018.

After joining Juventus Pjaca was sent out on loan to a number of clubs. Last season, he played 17 matches for Empoli, the season before that, for Torino, he played 26 games and scored three goals, and in the 2020/21 season, he played 38 matches and scored three goals for Genoa.